Category: past speakers

Founder and CEO, Embarc

 

Imran Khan is the Founder and CEO of Embarc, a leading organization in the movement for experiential learning. Imran is an Ashoka Fellow, a member of the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy, and serves as advisor to the Macarthur Foundation Chicago Commitment Committee. He also advises for the Workforce Funders Alliance and National Louis University. Imran regularly speaks at events across the country, including the Town & Country Philanthropy Series, Ashoka U and ASU + GSV Summit.

In 2010, Imran co-founded Embarc. Inspired by his students at W.R. Harper High School in West Englewood–most of whom had never visited downtown Chicago, just a few miles away from their homes–Imran brought experiences to his students that they never dreamed they’d have. With Embarc’s experiences, Imran transformed what his students saw as possible for their futures. These learning journeys consist of deep connections between people and demonstrate tremendous success for all constituencies.

Today, Embarc has expanded to serve more than 900 students across 19 Chicago Public Schools, and has increased successful outcomes for students by 30%. It leads 12,000 experiences a year to bring people together across economic, geographic, racial and political differences.

Executive Director, HFS Chicago Scholars

 

Desirée Pepper-Venzant is a native Chicagoan who joined HFS Chicago Scholars in 1996 as Director of Operations; since 2010, she has been serving as the Executive Director. An educator for over twenty years, Pepper-Venzant understands the value of an excellent education and the challenges that accompany it. Having a similar background as some of the students she currently oversees, Pepper-Venzant realizes the obstacles that families may encounter – wanting to provide the best education for their children but with limited resources – to enhance their children(s) educational path. Her passion for education and supporting youth has provided her with the drive to give back to students who bear a remarkable similarity to her own upbringing. With the assistance of a Holy Family School Scholarship program and her mentor, she was able to achieve her educational goals and break down any barriers that stood in her way. She attended Josephinum Academy (a partner school for HFS Chicago Scholars); there she became involved in student government and advocated for student curriculum needs. She was a first-generation college student and awarded scholarships to attend Barat College in Lake Forest, IL, where she obtained a B.A. in Business Marketing and a B.A. in Performing Arts Dance. While obtaining her dual degrees, she was elected and became the first African American student to serve as President of the Student Governing Board, advocating for minority student academic retention. Subsequently, she obtained an MBA from Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.

Pepper-Venzant is also a classically trained dancer, has performed professionally during her career and trained with notable instructors. Pepper-Venzant has served on several boards, is a leader in providing service to others in her community and is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Pepper-Venzant believes it is imperative for every child to be given the opportunity to succeed and have resources available to them. The HFS Chicago Scholars program provides this avenue, and she is proud to hold an important role in making quality education available for those in need and that have the desire to succeed. She is dedicated to the goals and initiatives of the program and is looking forward to its continued success.

 

Howard Rosing
Executive Director
Steans Center at DePaul University
Faculty Member
ABCD Institute

Mary Nelson
Former Founding President & CEO
Bethel New Life
Faculty Member
ABCD Institute

Brandon Davis
Director of Public Relations and CSR
CNA Insurance

Bernita Johnson-Gabriel
Executive Vice President, Neighborhood & Strategic Initiatives
World Business Chicago

Jack P. Lavin
President and CEO
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

Stephanie J. Schmitz Bechteler, Ph.D.
Vice President & Executive Director, Research & Policy Center
Chicago Urban League

Jess Wollmuth
Partner, Climate Change and Sustainability Services
EY

Lauren Stone
Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility
Walgreens Boots Alliance

Robert J. Rizzo
Senior Director
Conagra Foundation

Molly E. Cook
US Central Corporate Responsibility Leader
EY

Beth Spurgeon
Division Manager, Corporate Responsibility
ArcelorMittal

Kristin Carlson Vogen
Senior Director of Philanthropic Services
The Chicago Community Trust

Sarah Burke
Director, Corporate, Foundation, and Affiliate Giving
Northwestern Memorial Foundation

Allison Nichols LCSW
Social Worker
Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Emergency Department pilot program)

Lisa Azu-Popow
Program Director, community health services
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (public-health analyst)

Carlos DeJeus
Director of Special Initiatives
Center for Housing and Health (grass-roots organizer)

McKay Barra
Director of Operations
Northwestern Medical Group/Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Transitional Care Clinic)

Henok Misgina
Facebook

Patricia Harris 
Manager – Social Impact
Best Buy

Katherine Bissell Cordova
Executive Director
Chicago Fair Trade

Emily Hobbs
Development Manager
Fair Trade USA

Anthony Kingsley
Local & Sustainable Produce Lead
US Foods

Executive Director, the Steans Center, DePaul University Chicago

 

As the Executive Director of the Steans Center, Howard Rosing oversees the work of Academic Service Learning and the Egan Office for Urban Education and Community Partnerships, and he supports DePaul’s partnership with the Asset-Based Community Development Institute which is housed at the Center.  He works with faculty to develop scholarship on service-learning and community-based research as pedagogies.  Dr. Rosing  also serves as a faculty member in Community Service Studies and an affiliate faculty member in Geography, Sustainable Urban Development (MASUD) and Community Psychology and co-directs MASUD.  He has taught and developed numerous service learning courses including Community Food Systems and Geography, Food and Justice which serve as required courses in DePaul’s Minor in Food Studies. Dr. Rosing is a cultural anthropologist whose research focuses on urban food access, economic restructuring, community food systems, and food justice movements in Chicago and the Dominican Republic.

Faculty Member, Asset Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) at the Steans Center, DePaul University Chicago

 

Mary Nelson was the founding President and CEO of Bethel New Life for 27 years. Bethel is a faith based community development corporation focused on its low-income, African American west side Chicago community. Under her leadership the organization grew from a $9,600 to over $14 million a year budget and almost 350 employees. More importantly, Bethel has been a pioneering leader in building sustainable community based on the strengths and capacities of people and place that others had written off as a ghetto. Under her leadership, Bethel, using the community’s assets, developed over 1,200 units of affordable housing, pioneered in energy efficient, transit related development (TOD), brought jobs and businesses into the community, and developed model community based and operated housing and support for low income elderly, community based residential programs for formerly homeless, and a whole range of initiatives including employment, financial education, child development and community issue organizing. Bethel’s vision statement is taken from Isaiah 58:9-12 which says that the way to build up a healthy community is through justice and compassion. Bethel and Bethel people have been proactive in shaping legislation and in advocacy both locally and nationally around the justice issues facing the community.

Since her retirement from Bethel in 2006, Mary continues to live, work and worship in the community. In addition to being on the faculty at Asset Based Community Development Institute (ABCD), she teaches graduate courses in community development with the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE) and at North Park University, and consults, speaks and does workshops in a variety of settings, both nationally and internationally (South Africa, Australia, East Timor, Germany, Mexico). She is on the boards of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, Woodstock Institute, Good City, and Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance. Mary earned PhD from Union Graduate School, six honorary PhDs and numerous other awards.

Executive Vice President for Neighborhood and Strategic Initiatives, World Business Chicago

 

Bernita Johnson-Gabriel joined World Business Chicago in February 2018 and is responsible for leading the organization’s efforts to support economic growth and job creation for Chicago’s neighborhoods. She brings nearly 15 years of development experience to WBC, most recently as senior advisor for neighborhood development and housing for Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

While serving with the Office of the Mayor, Johnson-Gabriel led several targeted economic development projects and neighborhood revitalization efforts to generate clear and impactful outcomes for communities on Chicago’s south and west sides. She also expanded the city’s development lens to include residential, transportation, infrastructure and other development data for a more holistic approach to neighborhood growth.

Previously, Johnson-Gabriel served as executive director of the Quad Communities Development Corporation (QCDC), a neighborhood development organization serving Chicago’s south lakefront communities of North Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas and Grand Boulevard.  During her 12 years with QCDC, Johnson-Gabriel directed the creation of a 10-year Quality of Life plan adopted by community residents, the Fourth Ward Alderman and the Mayor’s Office. She built and maintained a coalition of approximately 40 organizations and businesses to implement quality of life projects and programs. She also led several strategic neighborhood development programs and efforts, including the Shops and Lofts Neighborhood Walmart and the Ellis Park Arts and Recreation Center, opened in 2016.

Originally from Bethel, North Carolina, Johnson-Gabriel holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Hampton University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, which helps entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity. She also serves on the board of directors for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC-Chicago) and the South East Chicago Commission.

Vice President and Executive Director, Research & Policy Center, Chicago Urban League

 

In her role as V.P. and Executive Director of the Research and Policy Center at the Chicago Urban League, Stephanie J. Schmitz Bechteler brings over sixteen years of experience in research and policy to the position. Stephanie built the Research and Policy Center in 2016 and in her current role oversees all external research and advocacy activities for the League. She is responsible for aligning Chicago Urban League’s policy, advocacy and government affairs agenda with the vision, mission and strategic goals of the organization. She also developed and oversees the League’s “Race and Equity Initiative,” designed to help the League engage in thoughtful, informed discussions on race, structural racism and racial equity for African Americans. From 2013-2016, Stephanie served as the Director of Research and Evaluation. Bechteler received her A.M. from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration in 2006 and her Ph.D. in Social Work from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois in 2015.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

 

Jack P. Lavin is the sixth President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce since the organization’s founding in 1904. He has more than 30 years of financial and management experience in both the public and private sectors. Throughout his career, Jack has focused on economic and business development in order to create jobs and improve the quality of life for people in Chicago and Illinois.

Jack served as Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the State’s economic and workforce development agency. He revamped and rebranded the organization to incorporate technology and entrepreneurship into the overall mission. He worked closely at the time with the Chicagoland Chamber to incubate the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and developed an early stage venture capital fund, which led to the founding of 1871. His work with the Chamber also established the award-winning Disabilityworks program, which provides job training for people with disabilities and promotes their hiring.

Jack also served as Chief of Staff for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, and Chief Operating Officer of the State of Illinois. He led the passage and implementation of the largest capital infrastructure bill in Illinois history and was responsible for managing the operations of the Governor’s office and all State government agencies. Prior to that, he served in financial leadership positions for Abbott Laboratories and a private restaurant company.

Jack serves on boards for the Chicago Children’s Theatre, the University YMCA, and the Chicago Leadership Alliance. He has also served on the City of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic Bid Committee, Navy Pier’s Long Range Strategic Plan Committee as Co-Chair, and the BIO Convention Steering Committee. Jack is a strong advocate for people with disabilities. He led a Task Force for Mayor Daley on Special Education in the Chicago Public Schools and serves on the advisory board of the Adult Down Syndrome Center.

Jack holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Illinois. He lives in Chicago with his wife and three children.

 

EY (Ernst & Young LLP), Partner, Climate Change and Sustainability Services

 

Jessica recently joined EY and brings nearly 25 years of EHS&S consulting experience to our EH&S and Sustainability Services practice.  She has led cross-functional and cross-cultural teams to develop unique solutions using expertise in decision analytics, group facilitation and technical expertise in environmental and energy management.

Jessica focuses in managing projects with both an environmental management and business strategy component.  She has worked for leading companies in a diverse set of industries including the apparel, consumer goods, agri-business, power, mining, chemical, and oil and gas.

Prior to joining our CCaSS practice, she was responsible for sales and technical development of a major engineering and architecture services organization’s global sustainability consulting business. Services included sustainability strategy development, materiality assessments, target setting, reporting, climate and supply chain risk analysis, along with development of supporting management systems and implementation programs

EY, (Ernst & Young LLP), US Central Corporate Responsibility Leader

 

Molly joined EY in 2013. In her role as US Central Corporate Responsibility Leader, she works closely with regional and local office leadership in 44 US markets to advance the firm’s CR strategy focused on education, entrepreneurs and equity in the workforce through board placements, financial support and volunteer engagement.

Prior to joining EY, she was a development professional at City Year Milwaukee and United Way of Greater Milwaukee. Prior to working at United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Molly was an AmeriCorps member with L’Arche Cleveland. Molly is currently on the Big Shoulders Fund Chairman’s Advisory Council, the Girl Scouts Gold Award Scholarship Committee, was a former member of the Girl Scouts Financial Literacy Advisory Committee and was a “big sister” through Big Brothers Big Sisters for eight years. Molly and her husband, David, reside in Chicago and have three children: Aggie (5), Adelynne (3) and Arthur (1).

Walgreens Co., Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility

 

Lauren Stone is responsible for Walgreens overall corporate social responsibility strategy and governance. Additionally, Lauren manages Walgreens corporate social responsibility governance and goal setting. She also ensures alignment between corporate social responsibility at Walgreens and globally with Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Lauren’s role allows her to work across all departments within Walgreens to ensure that corporate social responsibility is embedded into their initiatives and targets. In Lauren’s 12 years with Walgreens she has worked with in various departments including merchandising and product integrity. In her most recent role she created the preventive Ethical Sourcing program which ensures that human rights are maintained throughout Walgreens supply chain for front end merchandise. Lauren has also worked on regulatory and product quality testing programs. Lauren graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Conagra Brands, Senior Director of Community Investment; Conagra Brands Foundation, Senior Director

 

In his roles at Conagra Brands and Conagra Brands Foundation, Robert leads corporate social responsibility initiatives focused on community and charitable efforts that includes product donations, employee volunteerism and cash contributions across the organization.  Robert joined Conagra Brands, formerly ConAgra Foods in December 2016.

Prior to joining Conagra Brands, Robert was Senior Manager at Sara Lee Corporation and the Sara Lee Foundation. Over his 13-year career with Sara Lee, he reshaped foundation priorities, aligned focus areas to strategically resonate with the business and expanded the reach of its program to encompass a broader geographic area.

The Chicago Community Trust, Senior Director of Philanthropic Services

 

Kristin Carlson Vogen and her team engage families and individuals to focus their giving for impact and develop collaborative philanthropy strategies; leverage the knowledge of the Trust’s Program staff for the benefit of donor advisors; and enhance opportunity for impact investing. Prior to joining the Trust in 2018, Vogen was president and CEO of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation, and previously worked at Bank of America/U.S. Trust as a philanthropic specialist. Throughout her career, Vogen has provided subject matter expertise to individuals and families on private foundations, donor advised funds and endowment management for public charities.

Presently, Vogen is a board member of Cara Chicago and a trustee of Window to the World Communications, Inc. (WTTW 11/WFMT 98.7). She is a member of the Planned Giving Advisory Committee for WTTW/WFMT as well. Vogen has served as adjunct professor at Concordia University Chicago, teaching in its Not-For-Profit Program. She is a frequent speaker for Chicago Council on Planned Giving and other area philanthropic groups. Vogen was named 2015 River Forest Villager of the Year by the Wednesday Journal for her work with the OPRF Community Foundation. In 2015 she was the inaugural recipient of the ALDE (Association of Lutheran Development Executives) Chicago Chapter Outstanding Leader Award. In 2016, Vogen and the OPRF Community Foundation received the Scott Gaalaas YMCA Partnership Award from the West Cook YMCA.

Vogen earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, and her B.B.A. in Human Resource Management from Abilene Christian University.

Facebook, Client Partner, Retail

Henok Misgina leads the business relationship and strategy for one of Facebook’s largest retail partners. Prior to joining Facebook, Henok worked in digital marketing at Viacom and Tumblr building partnerships with Fortune 100 brands, including Target, Walgreens and Verizon. Henok graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology and enjoys helping youth pursue their passions through volunteering.

Executive Director, Chicago Fair Trade

 

Katherine Bissell Córdova is Executive Director of Chicago Fair Trade. She has worked for social justice causes for over twenty years, working for human rights, immigrant rights, and worker rights organizations. Katherine served as the Executive Director of ARISE Chicago, an organization that partners with low-wage immigrant workers as they organize for improvements in the workplace, established a field office for GreenWood Alliance in Honduras where she helped establish a social enterprise, served as a human rights defender in Guatemala with Peace Brigades International, and worked at the Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors for Torture in Chicago. Katherine is fluent in Spanish.

Local & Sustainable Product Lead, US Foods

 

Anthony Kingsley is the Local & Sustainable Product Lead at US Foods. In his role, Anthony is responsible for working within the Merchandising organization to bring local and sustainable products to life. This involves engaging internal stakeholders to define and standardize the US Foods approach and provide education around the dynamic topic of sustainability, as well as working with external partners to share food provenance with diners and restaurants.

Anthony has over 14 years’ experience in sustainability, community development and education in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the US. He holds a Master of Science in Sustainability & Management from Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Master of Arts in Political Science from University of Birmingham, UK.

Anthony serves on the board of Family Farmed, a national nonprofit committed to advancing the good food movement, providing access to local and sustainable foods for all.

Development Manager, Fair Trade USA

 

As a Development Manager at Fair Trade USA, Emily works with institutional funders to grow the global Fair Trade model in order to support farmers and workers and to protect the environment. In her role, Emily develops partnerships with organizations that allow Fair Trade USA to increase the organization’s impact around the world—and here in the U.S.

Before joining Fair Trade USA, Emily worked at the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College and supported CSR and sustainability practitioners at hundreds of organizations with the development and execution of their CSR programs. Prior to the Center for Corporate Citizenship, Emily worked in public relations and communications and executed digital marketing campaigns for brands like Seventh Generation and RadioShack.

Emily received her MBA from Boston College.

Executive Director, Center for Corporate Citizenship – Carroll School of Management at Boston College

 

Katherine is executive director of the Center for Corporate Citizenship, Boston College Carroll School of Management, and serves as part-time faculty at the Carroll School of Management where she teaches “Business in Society.” As executive director, she leads the team, oversees content, events, and strategic partnerships that contribute to the organization’s success. Katherine has worked with public private partnerships for more than 20 years through her career in nonprofit and higher education. She has worked at Brown University where she served last as AVP for Research, and the University of Massachusetts where she served as COO of the Foundation with more than $700 million under management. She has unique experience working on facilitating large scale public-private partnerships and joint research projects over the course of her career. Katherine is the co-author with Dave Stangis of ’21st Century Corporate Citizenship: A practical Guide to Delivering Value to Society and to Your Business.’

 

Executive Director, Illinois Business Immigration Coalition

 

As Illinois Business Immigration Coalition’s executive director, Rebecca Shi works directly with a steering committee of 79 Illinois-based CEOs, University presidents, chambers of commerce and immigrant advocates to develop and implement strategy that support the passage of federal immigration reform. IBIC has been extraordinarily effective in moving the politics of the state, winning public bipartisan support from the majority of Illinois’s Congressional delegation for commonsense immigration reform. IBIC has helped to launch a sister coalition in Florida, IMPAC FUND.

In 2013, Rebecca led the passage of Illinois SB 957 – temporary visitors driver’s licenses (TVDL) with bipartisan support from the Illinois General Assembly. Signed by Governor Quinn and continued under Governor Rauner, the program has licensed and insured over 270,000 undocumented immigrant drivers in Illinois making the roads safer for all, protecting hardworking immigrant families, and injecting $30 million new dollars to the state each year. Rebecca also led the successful passage of “AllKids HB3756” to provide health coverage for all low income Illinois children regardless of their immigration status and the Illinois Trust Act SB 31 to enable local law enforcement to focus on community safety and not immigration enforcement in 2017. Rebecca worked closely with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City Council to strengthen its Sanctuary City ordinance by providing $1.3 million in public funds to assist immigrants in legal defense and family protection. Rebecca is skilled at building broad coalition of business, labor, faith, law enforcement, government and immigrant leaders to achieve practical immigration solutions that grows the economy, creates jobs, and protects hardworking immigrant families.

Rebecca’s organizing work in Chicago’s Chinatown community has led to an award winning new library, a new field house, a new district and the first Asian American representative in Illinois legislature. A graduate of the University of Chicago, Rebecca was named a “20 in Their 20s” by Crain’s Chicago Business, and a “Community Leader” by the Asian American Coalition of Chicago, Rebecca’s work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Crain’s Business Chicago, CNN, POLITICO, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, and other press outlets. Rebecca is an Edgar Fellow, serves on the board of Alivio Medical Center and UIC Asian American advisory board.

Retired Chairman, President, and CEO, Corn Products International, Inc.

 

Samuel C. Scott III is the retired Chairman, President and CEO of Corn Products International, Inc. He now serves on the boards of World Business Chicago and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Scott is also on the board of Motorola Solutions, Inc., where he is Lead Director, and Chairman of The Governance and Nominating Committee.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation where he is Chairman of the Corporate Social Responsibilities Committee and on the Board of Directors of Abbott Laboratories. Scott also serves on the boards of Northwestern Medical Group and The Chicago Urban League.

Scott received both a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a native of Jersey City, New Jersey and presently resides in Chicago, Illinois.